Roaring Fork bike racers dominate in the desert

Photo courtesy of Ian AndersonSari Anderson of Glenwood Springs heads out on lap number nine in the grueling 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike race last weekend. She and teammate Max Taam of Snowmass Village took the mixed duo national title. Anderson turned in the fastest lap by a woman.

MOAB, Utah – Sari Anderson of Glenwood Springs juggled time as a mom and mountain bike racer Saturday and Sunday to ride the fastest lap by a woman at the 24 Hours of Moab. She also won the Mixed Duo National Championship with teammate Max Taam of Snowmass Village.

Anderson gave birth to a son just six months ago but followed a training regiment tailored for her by Carmichael Training Systems of Colorado Springs to get in shape for what is billed as one of the toughest endurance races in the country. The 24 Hours of Moab, in its 16th year, uses a course in the remote, scenic Behind the Rocks area south of town. It is organized by Granny Gear Productions.

Anderson said she was nursing her son between laps on Saturday before her husband Ian took their baby to a condominium in Moab. She continued pumping milk between laps throughout the race. It proved no distraction for the 31-year-old racer. Her first lap time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 20 seconds was the fastest by a female racer throughout the 24 hours.

“Both Max and I rode really well. We didn’t have any bad luck,” Anderson said.

Racers are sometimes hounded by mechanical problems or lighting issues at night on the 15-mile circuit. Taam completed 10 laps and Anderson nine as they took the mixed duo title as the Honey Stinger/Trek team.

The two valley competitors decided just a week ago to enter the race as a team. They knew each other from local mountain bike races over the years but had never teamed before. They turned in the third fastest time by any duo in the competition – men’s, women’s or duo.

Their official team anecdote is, “One fast dude and a nursing momma.”

This was the second year in a row that the 24 Hours of Moab hosted the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships. Many of the category competitions were for national titles.

Other Roaring Fork Valley racers winning national titles were the Basalt Bike and Ski/ESC squad in the men’s masters competition for racers 35 years of age and older; and a Honey Stinger/Trek team in the men’s 4-person competition.

Basalt Bike and Ski completed 20 laps to win a close competition. The team consisted of Joel Mischke of Basalt; Charlie Eckart of Aspen; Mike Scanlon of Snowmass Village; and Jason Lapointe of Carbondale.

The Honey Stinger/Trek 4-person team was led by Len Zanni of Carbondale with riders from other areas of Colorado. They completed 22 laps, more than any other team in any category.

Another Roaring Fork Valley team, the Stomparillaz, took the single speed open competition to claim a 24 Hours of Moab title that wasn’t a national title. The winning team members were Michael Hayes of Carbondale; Chris Brandt of Carbondale; Darin Binion of Glenwood Springs; and Will Inverso of Grand Junction.